Thanks to the renewed dialogue between Artissima and Gruppo UNA, the ballroom of the historic Hotel Principi di Piemonte | UNA Esperienze, in the centre of Torino, welcomed for the second time in collaboration with Artissima a new site-specific contemporary art installation by the Lithuanian artist Augustas Serapinas (Vilnius, 1990).

6 CHAIRS are raised to a height of almost two meters, similar to the chairs of lifeguards or those of tennis umpires. They are made of various materials: iron, wood, plastic, assembled like a fantastic project of bricolage in which architecture meets a do-it-yourself aesthetic, with a nod towards the monumental “Merzbau” of Kurt Schwitters. Usually anonymous and almost invisible objects in the competitive frenzy of a tennis match, the seats offer viewers a space of suspension, a refuge from which to observe the world and to “judge” it in keeping with their own moods and rules. 6 CHAIRS thus transformed the sumptuous ballroom into a metaphorical court, with silent umpires during an invisible tournament whose rules are written and imagined by the audience.

Play has always been a central factor in the works of Augustas Serapinas, shifting from the relational pieces of the 1990’s to immersive and at the same time minimal interventions.

6 CHAIRS is a tribute to the Nitto ATP Finals, one of the world’s most important professional tennis tournaments, which will be held in Torino for five years, starting from mid-November 2021, immediately after Artissima. The installation was on view for the public during the days of Artissima, and will remain at the ballroom throughout the Nitto ATP Finals, when the space will be dedicated exclusively to the 8 participating tennis players.

Special thanks to APALAZZOGALLERY, Brescia.